Dopdi Mejhen (Draupadi)
Dopdi Mejhen is the protagonist of the story, 'Draupadi'. She was named Draupadi after the female protagonist of the Indian epic MAHABHARATA. She, her husband, and other tribal rebels murder Surja Sahu, the oppressor of the village Bakuli. After this incident, they escape from and Dopdi takes a new name, Upi Mejhen. Even though she is captured and raped by police, she remains defiant, strong, and rebellious to the very end.
Mr. Senanayak (Draupadi)
A Bengali military officer familiar with the tribal fighters' strategies. He claims to respect them, but his goal is to eradicate them. After his men kill Dulna, his goal is to find Dopdi. When he does, he orders his men to rape her. Her act of boldness at the end of the story frightens him, something no enemy had been able to do prior.
Surja Sahu (Draupadi)
The rich landlord of the village Bakuli. When the area is affected by drought, Surja Sahu digs two tube wells and three wells within the compound of his two houses; the villagers are angry at this and Dopdi, Dulna, and their associates kill him.
Dulna Majhi (Draupadi)
Dopdi's beloved husband and one of the tribal rebels. He is killed by the military in the forest.
Mushai Tudu and his wife (Draupadi)
Dopdi takes shelter in their house after she escapes from the village Bakuli.
Arijit (Draupadi)
A leader of the tribal rebels.
Moyna (Why-Why Girl)
A precocious and inquisitive ten-year old girl in a low caste. She is full of questions, hence her nickname, and does not easily accept people's explanations or platitudes. She decides to learn to read and eventually becomes a teacher in order to answer things for herself.
Narrator (Why-Why Girl)
An older woman who is staying in Moyna's village and is fascinated with and charmed by the young girl's questions.
Khiri (Why-Why Girl)
Moyna's mother, who is somewhat exasperated by her daughter's "obstinate" attitude.
Maliti (Why-Why Girl)
The teacher at the Samiti in Moyna's village.
Giribala (Giribala)
A young woman married off to Aulchand, who proves to be a terrible husband and father. She is self-possessed and fierce, however, and manages to occasionally advocate for herself and her daughters and strike fear into those who come up against her. She is very aware of the plight of women in India, but does not let patriarchy crush her—she takes two of her children and leaves her husband.
Aulchand (Giribala)
Giri's callous husband, who wastes the bride-price he gets for her, consorts with his unscrupulous friend to sell off his daughter to get money, castigates his wife for getting sterilized, and generally behaves selfishly and petulantly.
Bangshi Dhamali (Giribala)
A prestigious man in the village who is often helpful to people like Giri and her parents, but who also acts in an imperious, holier-than-thou fashion.
Mohan (Giribala)
An unscrupulous, uneducated, and slick friend of Aulchand's who helps arrange Aulchands' daughters' fake marriages in order to procure a high bride-price.
Bela (Giribala)
Giri and Aulchand's daughter and firstborn. She is kind and lovely and her mother's favorite, but, without telling Giri, Aulchand arranges for her to be sold for a high bride-price into marriage.
Pori (Giribala)
Giri and Aulchand's second-oldest daughter. She is kind and lovely, and a hard worker in the babu's house. She is also sold off to be married to someone, though this time it is through Mohan's machinations and not Aulchand's.
Rajib and Mahuni (Giribala)
Giri and Aulchand's son and youngest daughter, respectively.
Jashoda (Breast-Giver)
The wife of Kangali and mother to twenty children both living and dead. Her breasts are abundant with milk, which leads the local babu household (Haldar's) to hire her as wet nurse to the many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is highly esteemed in the household and the village for thirty years, but eventually Mrs. Haldar dies and few children are being born anymore, so her position evaporates along with her milk. She retains a position as cook, but develops breast cancer. It quickly metastasizes and she dies, ruing her diminished stature and the irony of being left alone after she nurtured so many.
Kangali (Breast-Giver)
Jashoda's Brahmin husband. He is injured by Haldar's son but is pleased because this gets him a part of Haldar's land for a shop. Later he becomes a "professional father" by keeping Jashoda pregnant and running their household so she can suckle the Haldar household. Nabin secures him a place at the Shiva temple, which is where he begins spending most of his time and where he conducts an affair that angers Jashoda. When Jashoda develops breast cancer he is initially devastated, but as time passes he loses interest and thinks of her as already dead; thus, he is not with her when she dies.
Mr. Haldar/Haldarbabu (Breast-Giver)
The wealthy landowner (babu) for whom Jashoda and Kangali work. He has great affection for Kangali in particular, having seen him grow up, and takes pains to care for him after his own son causes Kangali an injury. He is an old-fashioned man who runs his household like it is the 16th century. He dies early in the story.
Mistress Haldar (Breast-Giver)
The wife of Haldar the babu, who is the first to notice Jashoda's mammary abundance and, at her son's urging, hires her to suckle all of the grandchildren. She is a kindly woman, though still maintains somewhat of an elitist attitude.
Nabin (Breast-Giver)
A local pilgrim-guide and friend of Kangali's and Jashoda's.
Eldest Daughter-in-Law (Breast-Giver)
She takes control of the household after her mother's death and, along with the other daughters-in-law, stops having children and thus puts an end to Jashoda's career as a wet nurse.
Chandi (Bayen)
Mother to Bhagirath and wife to Malindar, Chandi is part of the Dom caste, which works in cemeteries. She becomes distressed by the burying of children and quits; her "suspicious" behavior leads the villagers and her own husband to condemn her as a bayen, and she is ostracized. Her days are monotonous and sorrowful. She is eventually lionized after her death when she throws herself in front of a train to prevent it from crashing and being robbed.
Malindar (Bayen)
Chandi's husband and Bhagirath's father. While he loved his wife when they first met, he became increasingly distressed by her erratic behavior and cravenly joined in with the villagers in condemning her as a bayen.
Bhagirath (Bayen)
Chandi and Malindar's young son. He is curious how he could have a bayen for a mother and visits her without his father's permission. At the end of the story he tearfully proclaims to everyone that she was not a bayen after she helped save a train from being robbed.
Stepmother (Bayen)
Malindar's wife and Bhagirath's stepmother. She treats Bhagirath decently, but only because she is afraid of Chandi.
